


stepping a little bit too close for comfort

by lostin_space



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Isobel is actually in control
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 08:31:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19059016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostin_space/pseuds/lostin_space
Summary: isobel is trying to figure out rosa(title: the woah song from lizard boy)





	stepping a little bit too close for comfort

“Your brother won’t stop making heart eyes at my sister, it’s grossing me out.” **  
**

“I’m sure Liz says the same thing about me.”

Rosa gave Isobel that smile-that-wasn’t-a-smile, but it wasn’t a frown so Isobel took it as a win.  Isobel was still trying to navigate the large walls that surrounded Rosa Ortecho.  Sometimes it’d seem like she’d found a hole to weasel her way inside, but then a gate would shut and she’d still be on the outside.

Sometimes it drove her insane.  Sometimes she enjoyed the challenge.

“Hey, uh, after I get off, do you wanna go to a movie?” Rosa asked while somehow avoiding eye contact.  She was usually overwhelming with it.  Not today.  Isobel found herself smirking.

“Absolutely.”

*

“Oh my god, Izzy!  You-you’re too much!”

Isobel took a step away from Rosa.  She’d come to the roof of the Crashdown to see her, only to find her hysterically sobbing.  She didn’t really know how to handle this, especially since every time she tried to comfort her, Rosa would push her away.  She didn’t know what she did wrong.  All she knew was that they were fine one day and then Rosa was ignoring her the next.

Isobel happily skipped over their almost-kiss goodnight in the preservation of her own ego.

“Do you want me to go get Liz?” Isobel offered.  Rosa clearly didn’t want her there, but Isobel wasn’t about to leave her this all by herself.  The closer she looked, the more she realized Rosa was probably strung out.  She felt even more compelled to go get Liz.

“No!  No, I don’t want you to get Liz!” Rosa screamed, her hands going to her hair and pulling as her voice echoed in the empty space.  Isobel slowly took a step towards her once again.

“Okay, I won’t.” Rosa nearly jumped out of her skin when she realized Isobel was close again.  “Do you want me to leave?”

“Izzy!  Just-just stop!  Stop talking to me!” she shouted.

Isobel stared for a moment, watching her pull at her hair and pace wildly.  She debated if she should just listen.  As worried as she was, she also wasn’t wanted.  She was scared she was just going to make it worse.  As much as it hurt, Isobel decided she had to back off.  She wasn’t helping, she was hurting.

Isobel didn’t want to hurt her.

“Sorry.  I’ll leave you alone,” Isobel said softly.  However, she could barely take a step away before Rosa tightly grabbed her arm.  Rosa’s eyes were frantic with emotions even she couldn’t read, her pupils blown beyond recognition.

“Don’t leave me.”

Isobel nodded slowly, “Okay, I won’t.”

*

“Liz is leaving, my mom left, every fucking friend I had left once I got clean, now you’re leaving to?  Jesus Christ, am I that hard to be around?”

Rosa was high.  She said she was clean, but Isobel had spent enough time around a clean Rosa to know this wasn’t her.  Still, she stayed quiet about it as they laid close on the rooftop.  Pointing it out only upset her.

“No one is leaving because of you,” Isobel said, hesitantly reaching out to touch her arm.  She never knew what was okay and what wasn’t.  Rosa changed her mind every time they hung out.  Today, she was okay with arms touching.

“Really?  Because it feels like I chase everyone away.  Hell, I’m even losing you and you’re the most persistent person I’ve ever seen,” Rosa laughed.  Isobel pulled her hand away and turned to face her.  Was that what she was?  Nothing more than a persistent person?

Isobel made a mental note to talk to Max about what to do when the person you like is completely oblivious.  He had more practice in that area than she did.

Rosa looked at her when she took her hand away.  They laid there, staring in silence for a while.  They did that a lot.  Rosa moved closer, her eyes flickering across her face.  Isobel prayed her face didn’t betray how flustered that made her feel.

“It’s just college,” Isobel whispered, “You haven’t lost me.”

Isobel didn’t have much time to enjoy it when Rosa surprised her with a kiss.  It lasted maybe seven seconds, half of which Isobel spent in shock.  When Rosa pulled away, an involuntary part of her pushed her to try to follow for more.  Only, Rosa sat up and left her feeling more pathetic than before.

“You’re a good friend, Izzy.”

*

“How do you know if someone is gay or bi or… open to same-sex trysts?”

Michael slowly looked up from his comically large physics textbook with furrowed eyebrows.  Isobel stared at him helplessly, hoping he could play wise older brother.  She was lost, confused, scared, and slightly horny over everything that was Rosa Ortecho.  She was like a glitchy traffic light, one minute she was fine and the next she was freaking out.  To Isobel, it seemed like a massive sexual identity crisis and she didn’t know how far to push.

“Why?” Michael asked.

“Because there’s this girl I‒”

“No, I got that part, I mean why are you asking  _me_?”  he clarified.  Isobel rolled her eyes and waited for him to laugh, but it never came.  She snorted.

“You’re, like, the resident queer-who-will-talk-to-me,” she explained.  He somehow looked even more confused.  “Oh, come on, Micahel, there is absolutely nothing heterosexual about the way you stare at Alex Manes.” Michael sunk down in his seat, but he was no longer confused about why he was the one being asked.  “So how do you know?”

“I mean, there’s not really a for sure way to tell,” Michael told her.  She groaned, her head hitting the table.  

“Well, how did you know Alex was into guys?” she asked.  If it was a slightly less serious situation, she might’ve laughed at his progressively reddening cheeks.

“Lucky guess?”

“Oh, so you  _are_  banging the MCR reject?”

Micahel’s eyes went wide, “We are not talking about me, we’re talking about your massive hard-on for Rosa Ortecho!”

“Hey, no call outs!”

“You  _literally_  just called me out!”

Silence rose between the two as they glared.  However, the glares were replaced by small smiles that grew into snickering once it settled in how ridiculous they sounded.  It didn’t help that they were literally sounded.  It didn’t help that they were literally in the Crashdown and the probability of the people they were talking about overhearing was absurdly high.

“Okay, for real, what do I do?” Isobel asked.  Michael leaned in closer.

“I know this might sound insane,” he started, “But maybe you should just ask her.”

“You’re right that does sound insane.”

*

“Can we talk?”

Rosa looked up, smiling when they locked eyes.  That was hard to decipher.  It could mean ‘let’s kiss under the stars for hours like last time’ or ‘you’re such a good friend’ or ‘touch me and I’ll scream’. She was truly a wild card.

“Of course.”

Isobel slowly sat beside her.  Rosa sat up and faced her, putting their knees together.  She was so confusing.  The confusion didn’t stop the heat from coursing through Isobel when they touched.

“I… I don’t understand how you feel about me,” Isobel admitted.  She hated how weak she sounded.  There was no way to bullshit her way through this conversation.  Boys were easy, they usually didn’t get confusing.  They either liked you or they didn’t.  None of this messy shit.

“Izzy,” Rosa said, smiling softly as she reached for her hands.  Isobel relaxed when she noticed this was sober Rosa.  This was her favorite version, the sweetest version.  “After all my bullshit that you’ve dealt with, you still don’t think I love you?” A smile twitched onto Isobel’s lips as she involuntarily leaned forward.

“But… as a friend, or…?” Isobel said softly, hoping she’d just fill in the blank.  Rosa leaned forward, resting her head forehead on Isobel’s and nudging their noses together.  Isobel’s heart leaped into her chest as her eyes fluttered closed.

“You’re so naive, Izzy.”

“That’s a new one.”

“Besides, I thought you were seeing Michael Guerin,” Rosa said.  Isobel’s eyes shot open in confusion.  Rosa looked dead serious.

“I’m sorry, you thought  _what_?” Isobel asked.  She nearly pulled away, but Rosa grinned and put her hand on the back of her neck to hold her in place.

“Kidding.  I know he’s with my baby Alex,” Rosa laughed and Isobel somehow managed to relax into her hold once more.  This was the most Rosa had taken control in their entire friendship.  She was rarely ever the one to make the first move.  Now she was making almost all of them. It was insane and exhilarating and she wanted to explode. This was good. “I love you, Izzy.  Not like a friend.” This got better.

And she leaned in for a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> also on my tumblr: spaceskam


End file.
